Blood Will Out
by Sloane Ranger
Summary: Sam Braun has been caught red handed at the scene of a murder. Is everything as cut and dried as it looks?
1. Chapter 1

**Blood Will Out**

This is my first CSI fan fic so I'd be grateful to know if people think it's worth continuing.

The story has been rattling around in my head for a few months now and as I had a quiet Christmas I decided to write it down. I'm not sure in what season it's set but Lindsey's aged 14 – 15 and knows Sam Braun is her grandfather. Hope you like it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything relating to CSI or any of its characters.

**Chapter 1**

"…There was a knife on the table. I grabbed it and stabbed him several times. I don't remember exactly how many. I realised he was dead and was cleaning up when your guys burst in. The rest you know."

Sam Braun's hands were clasped lightly together as they rested on the polished surface of the table and his voice was calm, almost conversational as he made the incriminating statements that would forever take him away from his life of luxury and power. His high priced lawyer sat by his side, helpless to do anything since his client had refused to accept his advice and remain silent.

Gil Grissom stared into Braun's eyes for a long moment, then dropped his gaze to study the dark stains soaking Braun's jacket and shirt. He signalled to an officer who came forward and placed a set of jail issue clothing on the table.

"We're going to need your clothes for forensic examination Sam." he said. Grissom nodded at the scarlet top, pants and slippers, "You can change into those."

Braun looked at the clothing in distaste, "Why?" he asked, "I've already confessed."

"Let's just say I'm a completist."

Braun looked hard at Grissom, making no move to comply.

"Do it, Sam." Captain Jim Brass ordered.

Sam abruptly stood up. The police officer on duty in the interview room started forward, then relaxed when he saw Braun shrugging off his expensive Italian designer jacket, realising that he was simply following the order.

Grissom held open an evidence bag, then quickly sealed it once Braun had deposited his jacket inside.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catherine Willows stood in the ante-room; she was staring intently through the one-way mirror into the interview room but taking in nothing of the scene taking place there. She had felt numb ever since Jim Brass had rung to say that Sam had been caught, literally red-handed, at the scene of a murder. She didn't know what she was feeling and, just as important, didn't know what she should be feeling at this moment.

On the one hand, Sam had gotten away with murder at least once before, so, as a supervisor in the LVPD Crime Lab, she should be pleased that justice had finally caught up with him, even if it was at the cost of yet another person's life.

On the other hand, he was her father and they had been close for many years, even before she had known that. Despite their recent estrangement, memories of the good times crowded her memory as well as his gestures of kindness and affection towards her, the cheque for Lindsey's education and the $1 million to pay Nick Stokes ransom.

_Lindsey!_ Catherine suddenly thought, _I must tell her about this before she hears about it from the TV or her school friends._

She knew it wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Lindsey had been going through a rebellious phrase recently and was sullen and uncommunicative, especially with her mother. She suddenly became aware that Sam had begun to unzip his pants.

_And this is a good a time to leave._

TBC (if people think it's worth it)


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2 of this story. Thank you Smartstar 247 for your review which I greatly appreciated. I hope you and others will like this chapter also.**

**Chapter 2**

"Warrick, I want you to do a blood splatter analysis on these items of clothing after you've sent samples to DNA for testing."

"But that's Catherine's area of expertise." Warrick Brown protested. Then he looked at the name on the evidence labels, "Oh, I see. But hasn't Sam already confessed?"

Grissom ignored him as he turned to Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders, "I want you two to process the crime scene. Assume nothing and challenge everything."

"Warrick's right, Grissom. Isn't this a waste of our time and resources?" Nick asked.

Gil looked around the team, "When this case comes to court Sam Braun will have the best defence team money can buy. He has already walked away once from what should have been a certain murder conviction because of misjudgements by people in this lab. I don't want that to happen again so we'll proceed by the book. Before we go to court I want to know that all available evidence has been obtained, properly analysed and accurately recorded. He will not walk again because of something this lab did or failed to do …Sara, you're with me for the autopsy."

"Catherine?" Sara Sidle asked.

"Is to have nothing to do with this case. In fact, Ecklie's put her on a leave of absence until this is over."

"Actually, I was thinking about how she must be feeling right now." Sara responded, "She and Braun used to be close and he is her father. No matter what she may think of him now, it's certain to have affected her."

Grissom gave her a surprised look. "I'll go see her after the autopsy." he finally said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warrick carefully prepared swatches from the bloody areas on Braun's clothing, bagged and sent them to DNA. He then hung up the items and studied the patterns formed by the blood. There were large stains on both pant legs, beginning at the knees and running down. These were easily explained if Sam had knelt beside his victim after he had bled out, perhaps to check if he were dead or to recover the knife.

Braun was right-handed so the stains on his right shirt cuff and jacket sleeve could have been caused by the act of stabbing the vic, as could the blood on his shirtfront. But something didn't look right. The vic had been stabbed repeatedly. Every time the knife was removed the blood should have spurted from the wound in a different direction and under different pressure. The knife should also have been covered with blood after the first wound and the act of stabbing, withdrawing and stabbing again should have sent blood droplets flying in all directions. While Warrick, wasn't a blood splatter expert like Catherine, the blood stains looked too regular, too evenly distributed for them to have been caused in that way.

Lacking Catherine's expertise Warrick realised the only way he would know for sure was through empirical experimentation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grissom and Sara looked down at the naked body of the victim laid out on the table. The autopsy had been completed and Doctor Robbins was giving them the results.

"Vincent D'Arto, male Caucasian, aged 34. TOD - sometime between ten and eleven last night, Cause of Death – severing of the superior vena cava. There were a total of seven stab wounds but six of them, while likely to cause a lot of blood to fly around, wouldn't have been fatal. In fact, at least two were probably inflicted post-mortem."

Gil ran a practised eye over the body. "This looks like a frenzied attack Doc."

Robbins glanced down at the cadaver, the path of each stab wound neatly dissected, "I'd say so. Whoever did this …well to say they hated D'Arto is probably too small a word to use." He looked piercingly at Grissom, "The word around here is that Sam Braun has confessed?" At Grissom's nod he went on, "Funny, I wouldn't have thought him capable of killing this way. It seems too messy, too amateurish …There's something else, I sent a sample of D'Arto's blood to tox. He was high at the time he was killed. Diacetylmorphine."

"He was unconscious?" Sara asked.

Robbins shrugged, "It's difficult to say. His internal organs show signs consistent with long-term misuse. Addicts build up a tolerance so he may have been conscious but his functioning would have been seriously impaired."

"Braun never mentioned that in his confession." Sara noted.

"Perhaps he didn't realise." Grissom replied, but he sounded doubtful. After all, Braun's son had been a heroin addict. It seemed impossible that he hadn't recognised the tell-tale signs. "What have you done with D'Arto's clothing?" he asked.

"Sent them over to the lab for testing." Robbins responded.

"Thanks. Sara, I want you to go back and start testing the items for trace evidence. I'm going to see Catherine."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Not big on housekeeping was he?" Greg observed as he and Nick looked round the filthy, cluttered room.

"It's not exactly a junkie's highest priority." Nick replied.

Jim Brass strolled into the room, "Wits say Mr D'Arto was a very popular guy. He had a steady stream of visitors entering and leaving the apartment last night. The uniforms found a druggies dream in the bathroom, pot, heroin, crystal meth, everything you might need to reach pharmaceutical heaven, so he was probably a pusher. Nobody remembers Braun but as he was actually arrested here that's probably not important. If we could get evidence he took precautions against being seen the DA could argue premeditation."

"Can you talk us through what happened according to the witnesses Captain?" Nick asked.

"At about 10.30 neighbours heard raised voices coming from this apartment. They couldn't make out what was being said but they all agree both speakers were male. This was followed by a lot of crashing and banging." Brass pointed to an overturned chair and a broken vase lying against the far wall, "I'm guessing the argument turned into a fight. Anyway, one of the neighbours, Mrs Whittaker, was sufficiently alarmed to call 911. The uniforms arrived at 11.05. They found the vic lying there," he indicated a chalk outline on the floor, "…and Sam over there by the sink with a towel in his hands. They arrested him on suspicion of murder. Once he'd identified himself, they called me out. I contacted Grissom who processed the body so it could be moved. While they were waiting for us, the uniforms had a look round and found the drugs all neatly laid out on the toilet cistern."

"OK, thanks. Greg, start in the bathroom, bag and tag the drugs and do a full process of the scene. I'll work this room. When you've finished in there you can come, help me finish up in here." Nick said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsey Willows scowled up at her mother with all the contempt and anger a teenager was capable of, "Sam's innocent. You cops have had it in for him ever since that other murder case collapsed. You're all framing him!"

"Honey, he confessed." Catherine explained for what seemed the hundredth time.

"Then he was beaten into saying that. I know what the police do, despite all that "Serve and Protect" crap your PR department churns out." With another angry look at her mother, Lindsey turned and marched into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Catherine sighed with frustration and turned to her mother who had been a silent onlooker to the confrontation with Lindsey.

"Don't look at me like that Cat." Lily said, "Sam was kind and gentle with me but I always knew there was another side to his personality."

Before Catherine could ask her to explain further the doorbell rang. Catherine opened it to find Gil Grissom standing on the doorstep looking tense and ill-at-ease.

"Catherine. Hi." he said.

She looked at him, "Hi yourself."

They stood there, neither knowing what else to say. Then Grissom broke the silence,

"Can I come in?" he asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again thanks to **Smartstar247 **for reviewing my story. I hope you continue to enjoy it. How about anyone else. Do you have any views on it. Like it, hate it? (If the latter, constructive critisism only please!)

**Anyway, here is the new chapter!**

**Chapter 3**

"Lindsey's taking it hard." Catherine said as she handed Gil a cup of coffee, "She refuses to believe Sam's guilty."

"Oh." A slight look of panic crossed Grissom's face.

Catherine gave him an ironic smile, "Don't worry, Gil. I'm not going to ask you to talk to her. Once she hears the evidence, she'll find out the kind of person Sam Braun really is. It's just a pity she has to find out the hard way, like I did."

"No dear," her mother disagreed, "you really don't know Sam at all. Before you only saw his good side, now you only see the bad. You will never really understand him unless you accept what a complex and contradictory man he really is."

Catherine ignored her mother. She turned back to Grissom, "I need to be with Lindsey to help her through this but that doesn't mean I agree with the leave of absence. It looks like Ecklie and the LVPD don't trust me. How will I be able to exercise authority as a supervisor after this?"

"Catherine, this is one decision of Ecklie's I agree with one hundred percent. This isn't about trust; it's about protecting the Department and you. After what happened last time, you can't even be present while evidence in the case is being analysed. There's too much danger that the defence could use you to muddy the waters." Grissom replied.

"But there won't be a trial. He confessed!"

"Yes. Doesn't that seem out of character to you?" Gil asked.

It was Lily who replied, "Sam's always been a fighter. He won't go down without a struggle."

"Exactly," Grissom agreed, "so what is he planning?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Brass was a happy man as he drove into the LVPD Headquarters parking lot. The thought of Sam Braun sitting in a cell dressed in jail uniform gave him a warm contended feeling all over, especially since it seemed guaranteed that his residence in similar surroundings would soon become permanent.

_Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. I wonder if they'll put him in with his son? _he thought.

His good mood vanished when he noted the TV cameras and reporters mobbing the entrance to the building, _I suppose it was too much to expect we could keep this out of the news for long._

He sighed, got out of his car, walked towards the crowd and was immediately surrounded.

"Captain Brass, can you confirm you've arrested Sam Braun?"

"Is it true he's confessed?"

"Captain, has he said why he did it?"

Brass forced his way through the mob, muttering "No comment" at regular intervals. Finally he reached the refuge of the entrance hall and spoke to the desk officer,

"Sally, send a couple of uniforms over to Ms Willows house before these jackals move on to her."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"OK. So what do we know so far?"

It was late evening and Grissom had called a meeting to review progress.

"Greg and I have finished processing the scene." reported Nick, "there were masses of fingerprints. We're running them through AFIS now but so far the only matches we've got are for Braun and the vic himself."

"Yeah," added Greg, "Brass was right about D'Arto being a pusher. He was released from prison in Wyoming eight months ago after serving a sentence for dealing. He must have moved here and re-opened his business. Some of the fingerprints we found look like they belong to adolescents so he was selling to minors."

"What about the broken vase and the murder weapon?"

"Two sets on the vase, one was D'Arto's and the other was a partial of one finger. There's not enough to get a match but it looks too small to belong to Braun. The only prints on the knife were Sam's." Nick replied.

Grissom leaned back and considered, "That's interesting. According to Braun, it was on the table when he first saw it. So how did it get there without someone handling it? Either D'Arto or someone else wiped their prints off it before putting it on the table or Braun was lying and brought it with him. It was a carving knife. Greg, I want you to go back and check to see if the rest of the set is in the apartment. That way, we'll at least know if the knife belonged there or was brought in from outside."

Greg nodded and Grissom turned to the next member of the team, "Sara?"

"There were traces of drugs on D'Arto's clothing. Not surprising given his 'profession'. I also got a lot of different hairs. Some of them look like they belong to women or are the wrong colour for Braun but I've found a couple that might be his. If we could get a sample of his hair, Nick could do a comparison."

"What about the DNA?"

Chandra Moore spoke, "All the blood swatches off Sam Braun's clothing are a match for the victim."

"OK. What about the blood splatter analysis Warrick?"

"I created a computer simulation using information from the autopsy report on the number, direction and depth of the stab wounds and the height and weight of D'Arto. I got the same information on Sam Braun from his booking slip and, Griss …something isn't right. I've run a number of different scenarios and they all agree. With the exception of the pants, the blood should have been irregularly splattered all over Sam's clothing. There is no way it would have pooled into large stain patterns like it has."

"If Braun leaned over D'Arto to check whether or not he was dead, could the splatter caused by the stabbing have been covered up by him bleeding out on Braun's clothing?" Grissom asked.

"I guess so. But there's no way we can prove that. There is one thing. According to the simulations, there's a fifty, fifty chance that some blood would have gotten into the assailants hair so, if we find D'Arto's blood in Sam's hair we can prove he did the stabbing. Even if we don't, it still doesn't exclude him as the killer."

Grissom summed up, "So, we want samples of Sam's hair for testing and we need him to expand on his prior statement. I'll get in touch with Brass about a further interview with Braun and I'll ask him to provide hair samples at the same time."

"What if he refuses?" asked Sara.

Gil smiled as he responded, "Well, I was going to get a warrant anyway, just in case!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brass was at his desk reading reports when the phone rang.

"Oh, hi Gil," he said, when the caller identified himself. "I was going to call you to say the Sheriff and DA are holding a joint press conference first thing tomorrow morning to announce that we've got Sam Braun dead to rights this time. They're planning on arraigning him later in the morning and going for an early sentencing hearing."

He listened to the response with mounting annoyance. "What do you mean you think it's premature? He signed a confession for God's sake! Have you found anything to contradict that? …"OK, OK. You always need more time and more evidence. I'll get you in to see Sam but I won't be able to stop the press conference. The media are all over us here and the Sheriff's like a dog with two tails at the thought of Sam Braun going down during his term of office. He and the DA are probably going to make that the central plank of their re-election campaigns!" He paused then added, "Gil, you know the media are camped out outside Catherine's house as well? I've sent uniforms to try to keep them away from her and Lindsey."

As he put down the phone the expression on his face showed that he hadn't liked Grissom's response to that last piece of information.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gate slammed shut behind Grissom as the guard escorted him down the corridor. Heavy steel doors were set into the walls at regular intervals on either side. They were made of solid metal; the only interruptions in their surface were small observation windows at eye level and a narrow slot at waist height. He noted that the LVPD weren't taking any risks with their VIP prisoner. He'd been placed in the maximum security section where he would be under close observation. The guard drew to a halt outside a cell and glanced in. He drew back and allowed Grissom to look. Sam Braun was sitting on his bunk, apparently relaxed and reading a paperback.

The guard drew out his keys and unlocked the door, "Visitor for you." he announced, then stood back so Gil could enter the cell.

Braun glanced towards Grissom but made no move to get up or otherwise acknowledge his presence.

"Hi, Sam." Grissom nodded towards the book. "I see you're making yourself at home. Since you've been so co-operative I was hoping you'd help out again and let me take some hair samples."

Sam appeared to consider this and then shrugged, "Why not? After all, if I refused, you'd get a court order anyway."

Grissom grinned at him and produced a paper from his pocket. "I already did, just in case."

He put his case down on the bunk and opened it, producing a small pair of scissors and several evidence bags. He reached over and snipped a sample of hair, bagged it, then selected another section and began snipping there.

As he worked he asked, "By the way, you never said specifically in your statement but did you kneel over D'Arto or hold him at any point after you stabbed him?"

Braun gave him an enigmatic look, "You have my confession and that's all I intend to say about the case. What's worrying you Grissom? Afraid, I'll change my mind and plead innocent at the Arraignment? Don't worry, I won't."

Grissom finished collecting his samples, packed up and was leaving when a question from Braun stopped him at the doorway.

"How are Catherine and Lindsey?" he asked, "Are they OK?"

Grissom turned and looked at the man in jail clothing still sitting on his bunk, "As well as anyone can be when they have a murderer for a father and grandfather."

The door slammed behind him before he could see Braun's reaction. When he looked through the observation window, Braun, once again, appeared engrossed in his book.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsey sat on her bed. Her stereo was turned up as loud as it would go and she was hugging Mr Cuddles. He was somewhat the worse for wear, having been Sam's fifth birthday present and her favourite bear as a child. She had sat there all day and night, ignoring both her mother and grandmother's entreaties to come out and eat, until finally, they had given up and left her to come out of her own accord. She had watched from her window as the TV trucks had arrived and set up their cameras. She glanced at her watch; it was time for the morning News Bulletin. There was bound to be something about Sam on that. She turned off the stereo and reached for the television remote. Sure enough it was the lead story. She watched as the cameras went live to a press conference by the Sheriff and District Attorney.

_The sheriff was at the podium,_ "_Thanks to the improved response times I have introduced since my election, Mr Braun was arrested at the scene by officers from this Department before he could dispose of the evidence incriminating him. As a result he had no option but to confess to his crime. I have copies of his signed statement here, which will be distributed to you ladies and gentlemen at the end of the conference."_

_He stepped down to be replaced by the DA, "Sam Braun is the last remnant of the type of people who have no place in modern Las Vegas. He will be arraigned for the murder of Mr Vincent D'Arto at the Clark County Courthouse at 11 am this morning. Because of the seriousness of the crime and Mr Braun's reputation, I will be opposing bail and pressing for an early sentencing date, where I shall be requesting the maximum penalty allowed for this crime – life imprisonment without the possibility of parole."_

Lindsey looked down and saw she was clutching Mr Cuddles tightly to her. She threw him away forcefully. She was fourteen going on fifteen, almost an adult. She shouldn't be seeking comfort in stuffed toys at her age.

_Sam was innocent. She knew that for an absolute certainty. She had to speak to him!_

She opened her door a slit and looked out. Her mother and grandmother were watching the news. Closing it again quietly, she looked out the window and saw that the back of the house was clear. She climbed out carefully and took off at a run across the neighbours back yards.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi all, Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, internet access troubles, hopefully now resolved. (I'll know for certain in a day or so.). Thanks, once again to Smartstar247 for the review. I hope you like this one too.**

**Chapter 4**

"Chandra have you finished the DNA analysis of Braun's hair samples yet?" Grissom asked, "The Arraignment is only an hour away and I don't want any surprises."

"I didn't even get started." Chandra replied. "I sent you an e mail, didn't you read it? There were no traces of blood in Braun's hair. Sorry."

"It's the evidence. Don't apologise for it." Gil said as he disappeared out the door.

He walked down the corridor into the rest room, "Nick, what's the story on the hairs Sara collected from D'Arto's clothing?"

"They're consistent with Braun's but that doesn't prove he killed him. We know he was in the apartment and the transfer could have happened at any time. There was one interesting thing though, I had a look at Sara's report and all the hairs she gave me to check were collected from D'Arto's pants leg. That seems unlikely unless Braun only stood at the foot of his body after it fell. If he'd been close enough to stab him, there should have been transfer to D'Arto's shirt and jacket. I'm re-checking all the hairs she collected in case she missed some."

"Then what are you doing in here? It's past ten o'clock already and the Arraignment's at eleven."

"Have a heart, I've been up all night on this!" seeing the look on Grissom's face he gave in, "Alright, I'll get right back on it."

"I'm leaving for the courthouse shortly. If you get a hit call me on my cell." As Nick disappeared, Grissom took out his phone and speed dialled. "Catherine. How are you bearing up?" He listened to her response, "Lindsey will come round. It's hard for her to take, especially at that age; everything unpleasant is a personal insult. Have you tried to speak to her this morning? Give it a try; she may be waiting for you to make the first move. Will you be at the hearing later? OK, I'll be in touch."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsey moved uncertainly through the public areas of the Clark County Courthouse keeping a watchful eye out for anyone who might recognise her. Now she was there she realised she had no idea where to go and she didn't want to draw attention to herself by asking. The board in the reception area had said Arraignments were being held in Court 14 but the Courthouse was large and badly signposted and she had quickly concluded she had little hope of finding it unless she saw someone like Gil Grissom or Jim Brass or maybe even a reporter she could follow. She glanced at her watch, 10:48; she didn't have a lot of time.

_I've got to get there. I've got to talk to him! s_he thought.

She turned a corner and quickly ducked back, Gil! After a short pause she realised he hadn't seen her. She risked a quick glance and saw he was talking to the Sheriff. Judging from their gestures they seemed to be arguing but she couldn't hear what about. Finally, they broke off and began moving purposefully away from her. She followed, making sure she wasn't seen.

At last they turned and walked through one of the doors leading off from the passage. Lindsey crept up and looked inside. The room was packed, Gil and the Sheriff were walking towards empty seats at the front that seemed to be reserved for them and she saw her mother's detective friend, Jim Brass stand to greet them. The presence of several reporters she recognised from the press conference earlier clinched it for her; this was the place where Sam was going to be arraigned. She entered silently and hid behind a pillar where she could see but not be seen.

She watched as the Judge entered through a door at the back of the Court and banged his gavel. "This Court is called to order." he shouted and the noise level dropped by several decibels.

This was apparently all he expected because he nodded to the Clerk who yelled, "Case Number 198674, State of Nevada v Sam Braun."

Lindsey saw another door open and her grandfather being escorted into the court by two security guards. He was handcuffed and shackled causing him to walk with an odd shuffling motion. He wore one of the bright orange jumpsuits she'd seen prisoners wear on TV. She couldn't believe that her mother and her mother's friends were allowing Sam to be humiliated in this way and her heart ached for him. Sam finally came to a halt beside his lawyer and the court officers took a half step back. He remained standing.

The Court Clerk began to read from a sheaf of papers in front of him. "Sam Braun you are charged with the 2nd degree murder of Vincent D'Arto. How do you plead?"

Sam's lawyer gave him an almost pleading look but he stared stonily ahead, ignoring his lawyer's silent appeal as he opened his mouth to reply. "Guilty." he said.

Lindsey felt her heart clench and her head spin as the court erupted in shock and disbelief. Then without realising she heard herself screaming. "_No. He didn't do it! He's innocent!"_ as she forced her way through the mob of people, scratching and clawing, fighting to get to him as Gil Grissom and Jim Brass looked on in shock.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lindsey, I've made you your favourites, pancakes with maple syrup. Come on out honey and have something to eat." Catherine knocked on the bedroom door. After some thought she'd decided to take Grissom's advice and take the initiative with Lindsey. The offer of pancakes was her own idea, a mixture of peace gesture and bribe. There was no response to her knocking so, frowning slightly; Catherine put her ear to the door. She listened for a long moment but could hear nothing. Beginning to worry now, she opened the door. "Lindsey?" she called, "I'm coming in."

She took in the implications of the empty room and the wide open window immediately and rushed to the front door, signalling to the two LVPD officers out front, thankful that the press vultures had disappeared off to Sam's arraignment.

"My daughter's missing." she explained, "She must have run off during the night. Put out an APB immediately. I'll go get a recent photo for you."

As the officers nodded, Catherine's cell rang. She glanced at the caller ID, hoping against hope it was Lindsey. _Grissom, probably calling about the arraignment._ She was tempted to ignore him but her training kicked in and she accepted the call. "Gil, Lindsey's run away. I need to keep this line clear in case she calls so unless this is important…" As she listened, her face relaxed. "OK, thanks. I'll be over right away." She closed the cell and turned to the two officers and her mother who'd joined them after being alerted by the noise.

"Cancel the APB." Catherine told the officers. "Lindsey was at the Arraignment. She caused a disturbance and is being held at HQ."

Lily gave her daughter an "I told you so" look. "That's exactly what you'd have done at her age." she said, "She's known Sam all her life and has always been fond of him. Then, almost as soon as she discovers he's her grandfather you go all heavy handed and forbid her to ever see him again. Lindsey is a bright, intelligent strong-minded girl, just like you were at her age, and old enough to know her own mind. She was bound to rebel and now that Sam is in trouble, she'd want to be there for him."

Catherine gave her mother an ironic look, "Even after he cast you aside for a newer model you kept a light burning in the window for him. Sam uses people, then discards them when it suits him. I wasn't going to have him do that to Lindsey."

"You weren't listening when I told you what a complex man he is. And he's never let you down when you've gone to him for help." her mother asked. "Anyway, what makes you think it was Sam who ended it, not me?"

Catherine looked at her mother in astonishment. It was true, she had only assumed Sam had ended the affair with her mother, she didn't know for certain. She wanted to ask Lily so many questions but didn't have time. Hopefully they could pick up on this later. "I've got to go fetch Lindsey." she said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsey sat on a chair in an interview room, scowling. He hated the entire world but the judge, the stupid spectators who'd got in her way, her mother, Grissom and Brass in particular. Once they'd got over their surprise, they'd intercepted her and dragged her out of the court, preventing her from reaching her grandfather. She could still see the look of shock and horror on Sam's face as they'd carried her away.

She barely glanced up when Brass entered the room.

"You're a very lucky girl Lindsey." he said as he sat down. "The judge wanted you charged with assault and contempt of court but he agreed to let your mother handle it once I'd explained the circumstances to him. Mr Grissom has contacted your mother and she's on her way over here right now."

Apart from a slight shrug of her shoulders, Lindsey ignored him.

Brass sighed, he recognised the signs, he'd seen them often enough in his own daughter. He hoped Catherine could get through to her. If she couldn't he feared Lindsey would go the same way as Ellie.

Just then the door opened and Catherine entered.

"Lindsey, what were you thinking? Your grandmother and I were worried sick about you. Do you know how lucky you are they're not going to press charges for disrupting the courtroom?"

"Great!" Lindsey replied to her mother. "So I'm lucky. And that means you want me to just stand by while you and your cop friends railroad Sam into prison, right? I want to speak to Sam. I'm his grand-daughter. I have a right."

"Actually as a minor, you can only visit with your parent or guardian's permission." Brass replied.

"Which I am certainly not giving after the way you've behaved." Catherine said.

"Yeah, like you would have before?" Lindsey asked sarcastically.

Catherine sighed and was about to reply when Grissom walked into the room. "Lindsey, why are you so insistent that Sam Braun is innocent?" he asked, "You heard him plead guilty. Do you know something that would exonerate him? If so, you must tell us now."

"Let me speak to Sam." she repeated.

"You were D'Arto's apartment on the night of the murder weren't you?" Gil persisted.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"_You were D'Arto's apartment on the night of the murder weren't you?"_ Gil Grissom's accusation hung in the air.

"That's impossible!" Catherine cried, the mother winning out over the criminalist. "Lindsey was at a sleepover at her friend Emma's house. I picked her up from there when I left here after Sam confessed."

"Forensic evidence doesn't lie Catherine." Grissom reminded her without taking his eyes from Lindsey's face, "The LVPD began processing Lindsey after she interrupted Braun's hearing and we matched her fingerprints to a partial from a broken vase in D'Arto's apartment. She was there."

Catherine looked from her daughter to Grissom, clearly conflicted. The mother in her wanted to tell Lindsey not to say anything, at least until after they'd had a chance to speak to a lawyer, the Crime Lab supervisor accepting the evidence and wanting to discover the truth. Finally, her voice low and hesitant, she asked, "Lindsey, is this true?"

Lindsey's eyes flickered around the room, moving from Grissom to Brass and finally resting on her mother. Her defiant attitude disappeared and Catherine saw relief in her eyes. She nodded confirmation.

"But why?" Catherine asked. Then a dreadful thought struck her, "Lindsey, you're not using drugs, are you?"

"Of course not," Lindsey replied, with just a trace of her previous attitude, "I tried pot once and it made me feel sick but Emma started smoking it a couple of months ago, just at weekends. No big deal I thought. I'd hang around outside D'Arto's apartment while she went in to score. Only it didn't stop at weekends or at pot and about a week ago I caught her in the bathroom popping some pills. I tried to persuade her to get help but she wouldn't listen."

"Tell us what happened on the night of D'Arto's murder, Lindsey." Brass said gently.

"After school we hung around with some other friends and went for a burger and coke. On our way back to her house, she wanted to stop off and buy drugs. She tried to persuade me to give her some money because she didn't have enough. I refused but I went into the apartment with her anyway. D'Arto was horrible! When he heard she didn't have the money he made suggestions about how she could pay him in other ways – you know?" Lindsey's voice wavered as she remembered the scene.

The three adults nodded, they knew the kind of thing D'Arto was likely to have suggested to a fourteen year old girl.

Lindsey began crying as she went on with her story. "Emma begged for some pills but D'Arto insisted she pay for them, one way or another. It looked like she was going to give in but I pulled her out of there. D'Arto tried to stop me so I threw the vase at him. I took Emma home but she just kept getting more and more strung out. I didn't know what to do. Finally she seemed to settle down and go to sleep. Her parents were out at some fundraiser so I went into the lounge to think. When I went back up to check on her, she'd disappeared. I thought she'd gone back to D'Arto's so I went there. I knocked but I got no answer, the door was unlocked so I went in. D'Arto was lying on the floor, there was a knife stuck in his chest and blood everywhere. I ran and when I got back to Emma's place, she was waiting for me. She said she'd woken up and gone for a walk to think things over. She said she realised she was hooked and wanted to get help. We decided to see the school councillor the next day, then went to sleep. The next thing I know, Mom was banging on the door and telling me Sam had killed D'Arto."

"You think Emma killed D'Arto?" Brass asked.

"I don't know what to think." Lindsey gasped through her tears. "But if she did I wouldn't blame her. I know that Sam couldn't have done it. He wasn't in the apartment when I got there so he must have arrived after I left."

"What time did you discover D'Arto's body?" Gil enquired.

"10:45ish, give or take a couple of minutes either way." Lindsey replied.

"You didn't see anyone else about?" Brass added.

Lindsey shook her head.

"Lindsey, why didn't you come to me with all this?" Catherine cried.

Lindsey tear filled eyes were amazed as she looked at her mother. "Because you're a cop. I didn't want to get Emma into trouble. "

"Alright." Gil intervened, "Catherine, can you take Lindsey outside while Jim and I discuss this further?"

Catherine nodded, put her arm around her daughter and gently escorted her out of the room.

Once they were alone, Brass turned to Grissom, "Whatever Lindsey might think, this doesn't prove Braun is innocent. He could have heard someone approaching and hidden in one of the other rooms. When he recognised Lindsey he wouldn't have wanted to hurt her, I'll give him that much. And she's provided him with the one thing we've been missing, a motive for murdering D'Arto. If he'd heard his granddaughter had been seen coming out of the apartment of a drug dealer he could have thought D'Arto had got her using."

"Lindsey's also provided us with an alternative suspect." Grissom pointed out, "And a reason why Braun was prepared to plead guilty. If he saw Lindsey running away from the scene he could have jumped to the conclusion, she killed D'Arto and be protecting her."

Catherine sat in the break room, cradling Lindsey in her arms. The sobbing had ended now and Lindsey was laying quiet and still in her mother's arms, her eyes closed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd comforted her daughter in this way but it had been a long time ago, before she had entered her teens. Catherine's heart went out to her daughter. For the last two days she'd faced pressures and dilemmas no fourteen year old child should be forced to deal with. At the same time, she felt she had failed as a mother. Lindsey hadn't felt able to confide in her. She wondered where she had gone so wrong that Lindsey felt she would place her duties as a member of the LVPD before her responsibilities as a mother. _I know I couldn't spend as much time with her as I wanted when she was younger_ she thought, _but I had to work, we needed the money._ Then she wondered what it must have looked like to Lindsey. The constant call outs, the broken promises. _We need to have a proper talk_ she decided.

Lindsey opened her eyes and looked up at her mother.

"Mom, I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble." Her tone reminded Catherine of when she had been ten years old.

Catherine hugged her tighter. "It's alright honey. I'm just sorry you felt you couldn't tell me about Emma's problems before all this happened. There are people I know who could have helped her."

"I was worried you'd arrest her for possession or something," Lindsey explained. "And she's my friend. I was scared you'd stop me from seeing her anymore, like you did with Sam."

"Honey, Emma's made some bad choices but she's young and it doesn't sound like she's too far down the addiction road yet. She can be helped. That's what I'd have tried first in a case like hers. Believe me, criminal prosecution would have been the last resort!"

"But you were going to be a prosecution witness against Sam and you told me I couldn't see him anymore!" Lindsey protested.

"There's a world of difference between using drugs like Emma and bank robbery and murder like Sam Braun!" Catherine said, sharper than she intended.

Lindsey draw away from her mother, "But isn't there something about hating the sin but loving the sinner?" she asked. "Why couldn't you have done that with Sam? You had to do your job, Grandma explained that to me, but that's no reason to treat Sam the way you did. He's my grandfather, your father, yet you tried to shut him out of our lives!"

Lindsey sounded confused rather than accusing but her words slammed into Catherine like a pile driver and forced her to evaluate her attitude to Sam Braun, once again. He had lied to her by omission from the day she'd been born. Not only was he her biological father, he'd committed murder and looked her in the eyes as he'd tried to cast the blame on to a dead man. She had to wonder what other secrets he'd kept from her. On the other hand, he'd been there for her, vaguely paternal, distantly affectionate and protective, always willing to bail her out financially. For the first time she considered what her mother had said about Sam being a complex man. Had trying to deny their relationship and cast him out of her life been the right decision? Could you really hate the sin but love the sinner? If so, how? She needed more time to think through these concepts.

"Let's take you home now Lindsey." was all she said, "Your Grandma will be worried and I think we need to have a family talk."

"…so there is now a credible alternative suspect in D'Arto's murder and further investigation is needed." Gil Grissom concluded his presentation to the Sheriff and District Attorney.

They stared at him, their faces set and unresponsive.

"Let's just back up a bit here." the D.A. said, "As Captain Brass has pointed out, nothing in this new information actually exonerates Braun and he's already pleaded guilty. If you open this line of investigation you're saying the LVPD isn't convinced of his guilt. That would give his lawyers the opening they need to nullify the conviction and enough reasonable doubt to take to a jury. How do we know this wasn't his intention from the beginning? We could be playing right into his hands!"

"And this friend of Lindsey Willows, Emma Greyson. Her parents are very prominent socially and big contributors to good causes within this city. Look Gil, who's more likely to be D'Arto's killer, a known murderer and associate of gangsters like Braun or the daughter of respectable folks like the Greyson's? Braun admits killing D'Arto. Why shouldn't we take his word for it?" added the Sheriff.

Gil set his shoulders as he looked back at them. "I'm a forensic scientist." he replied. "My loyalty is to the truth and I don't think we've discovered what that is in this case yet. Braun may be guilty but the forensic evidence is ambiguous at best. Now we have another suspect. I have to investigate her, if only to rule her out as the killer."

The District Attorney turned to the other man in the room. "Conrad, what do you think?"

The slim, balding figure of Conrad Ecklie took a deep breath before he spoke, "Dr Grissom is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Practitioners. He is required by the Academy to follow through on all possible leads in a case. Failure to do so could result in him being expelled. Given the facts as presented, Grissom has no alternative but to check out Emma Greyson."

The Sheriff glared at him. This wasn't the reply he'd been hoping for. "OK." he said grudgingly, "Follow up the damn lead!" He looked hard at Gil, then added. "But understand this, if Braun walks as a result of your investigation and no-one else ends up being convicted, your future with the LVPD Crime Lab… well let's just say, questions will be asked. Understand?"

Grissom nodded as he left the room, followed by Ecklie.

"And that's the reason I make a better Lab Director than you would have." Ecklie observed once the door had shut behind them, "Because I can play politics. There are ways of managing upwards without telling the bosses they've made fools of themselves by moving so fast against Braun. You'd better hope you come up with something definitive, one way or another, if you want to stay with the Crime Lab."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**"You know it's really annoying me that no one else is reviewing your story, because it is really very good. I am really looking forward to the next chapter so post soon!"**

Thank you **Smartstar247** for these kind words. I'm glad you're still enjoying this story. I must say it is a bit hard to keep writing when I don't know if other people feel the same or it's only you!

To be honest, I am considering not writing any more chapters. If other people have read and enjoyed this but not reviewed could you let me know please? You don't have to review regularly. I just need to know if there is more than one reader out there!

Thanks.

**Chapter 6**

Jim Brass rang the doorbell of the large, beautifully maintained house and waited until the door was opened by a woman. She was dressed in casual but expensive clothes and her face and hands showed evidence of regular appointments with a good beautician. He recognised her from the gossip columns as Adele Greyson, Emma's mother. "Mrs Greyson." he introduced himself, "I'm Captain Brass from the Las Vegas Police Department. This is Gil Grissom of our Crime Lab. We'd like to speak to Emma."

"Why?" asked the woman. "Is she in some sort of trouble?"

Grissom smiled reassuringly, "We hope not. But we think she can help us with a case we're working on."

Mrs Greyson looked worried. "Look, officers, Emma's not very well. That's why we've kept her off school the last couple of days. Can't it wait?"

Brass shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Speed is important in criminal investigations."

There was the sound of footsteps from inside the house and a tanned, distinguished looking man appeared. Brass knew him to be Peter Greyson, Emma's father, "Do you have a warrant?" he asked aggressively.

"Why? Do we need one?" countered Brass. "We were hoping prominent, law abiding members of the community such as yourselves would be willing to assist the police voluntarily. But, if you want us to get a warrant, fine; we'll be back with one within 30 minutes. Of course then, we'll also be bringing several marked squad cars and dozens of uniforms with us. We may also have to interview your neighbours."

Greyson glared at him and opened his mouth. What he was about to say, however, was interrupted by his wife who tugged on his arm. "Peter, let them come in and talk to Emma. They'll see she's in no state to answer their questions." She glared at Brass and Grissom, "But you're not seeing her unless one of us is present!" she told them.

Brass nodded his agreement. This was standard procedure with minors, but if the Greyson's wanted to believe they were being given preferential treatment he had no objection to letting them.

After a muttered discussion with her husband, Mrs Greyson led them into the house and up the stairs. Her husband disappeared into a room just off the hall, _gone to call his lawyer_ Brass guessed.

Mrs Greyson knocked on one of the door leading off the landing, "Emma, honey." she called, "I have the police with me. They want to ask you some questions." She opened the door and walked in without waiting for a reply.

The bedroom was large, bright and airy. A collection of stuffed toys and dolls were arranged on a long shelf against one wall. The room also contained a sound system, television, computer and all the other conveniences wealthy parents gave their children.

Emma, however, was sitting curled up in an easy chair beside the window. She appeared withdrawn, not acknowledging their presence. Despite it being early afternoon, she was still dressed in her nightgown and had a bed robe draped around her shoulders.

Adele Greyson turned to Brass and Gil, "She hasn't been sleeping well." she whispered. She looked back towards her daughter, "Honey," she spoke louder, "these are Captain Brass and Mr Grissom from the Police Department."

Emma totally ignored her mother.

"There, you see!" Mrs Greyson told the two men, "Our doctor has diagnosed her with mild depression. He's prescribed some medication to help her sleep and referred her to a child behavioural specialist. Once she's made sufficient progress in her treatment, we'll let you know and you can come and take a statement then."

Grissom spoke, "Mrs Greyson, your daughter is undergoing amphetamine withdrawal. The last thing she needs now is more pills."

"How dare you! My daughter is not a drug addict!"

Brass ignored Mrs Greyson's protest. He moved forward and sat on a chair next to the girl. "Emma," he said gently, "Lindsey's told us everything. We know you were buying drugs from Vincent D'Arto and you went to see him the night he was killed but didn't have enough money, so he suggested you pay him in kind. We know that Lindsey brought you back here but later on you went out for a while. Why don't you tell us where you went?"

Emma suddenly became animated. She turned towards Brass, anger flashing in her eyes, "That double-crossing, lying bitch!" she shouted. "She promised me she wouldn't tell the cops."

Mrs Greyson looked shocked at her daughter's reaction but quickly recovered, "I knew we shouldn't have let Emma befriend that Willows' girl!" she exclaimed. "I know my daughter. She's not some junkie. If she's been experimenting with drugs, it's because Lindsey led her into it. Look at her family background, a mother who was a stripper and a grandfather who's little better than a gangster! I know what's happening here. Sam Braun's confessed to killing that man D'Arto, it's all over the news but that little bitch is trying to muddy the waters by dragging our daughter into it. The only reason you're listening to her is because her mother has finagled her way into a senior position in the Crime Lab, probably on her back!"

Grissom's face tightened but he kept his voice even. "Mrs Greyson, I can appreciate that this is a shock to you and you're upset but I'd suggest you be careful what you say. Ms. Willows is a highly competent forensic scientist who has earned her position through ability. To suggest otherwise is slanderous. Now, Emma has admitted that she was at D'Arto's apartment that evening and that she doesn't have an alibi for the time of the murder. If you believe she's not involved, surely you'd want us to continue questioning her so we can rule her out as a suspect?"

Peter Greyson appeared at the door, "I've just come off the phone with our lawyer." he said, "She advises us to terminate this interview now and, after what I've just overheard, I fully intend to follow her advice. Captain Brass, Mr Grissom, please leave my home, immediately. If you want to speak to my daughter again, get a warrant."

As the house door closed behind them Brass spoke, "Well that went well." he said ironically.

Grissom shrugged, "The parents are scared." he replied, "they know or suspect something but don't want to admit it, even to themselves. Jim, get that warrant. We need Emma to provide a statement but I also want to examine her hair and fingernails for trace evidence, the clothes she wore that night for transfer and I need a set of her fingerprints for comparison purposes."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsey bit hungrily into a burger as Catherine and her mother looked on. Normally they tried to discourage her from eating junk food but today was an exception. Finally, she finished and sat back with a contended sigh, absent mindedly wiping her fingers on a paper napkin.

Catherine took a deep breath; she had promised both Lindsey and herself a family talk and now was as good a time as any to have it. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry you felt you couldn't confide in me about your friend. I know that when you were growing up it must sometimes have seemed that my work took priority, but, please believe me when I say I was doing it for you. My job provided the money for all the things you needed when you were growing up and I wanted to keep you safe. One way of doing that was by taking the bad people off the streets. I've always been your mother first and a criminalist second."

Lindsey looked up. She appeared more relaxed than she had in a long time. "Mom, I've always known that you loved me." she explained, "But after what happened between you and Sam, I was scared that if I let you down, disappointed you somehow; you'd stop loving me like you stopped loving him."

Catherine felt a flash of anger, _Sam; why did it always come back to him?_ Nevertheless, she felt her face open and receptive and her voice calm. At least Lindsey was opening up now and speaking honestly. That was progress.

"Darling, you're my daughter, there's nothing you could do that would make me love you any less." she said.

Lindsey looked puzzled, "But Sam's your father. You stopped loving him. What's the difference?"

_Did I? _mused Catherine, remembering her conflicted thoughts and feelings as she'd stood listening to Sam confess. She noticed her mothers' look of ironic amusement as she searched for an answer. "Sweetheart, he killed someone and then committed other crimes to cover it up."

"So if I killed someone, you wouldn't love me anymore?"

Catherine sighed, "Lindsey, I know that you'd never hurt anyone, except maybe in self defence."

"But what if I did?" Lindsey pressed the point.

Catherine considered. Of all the criminals she dealt with regularly, she hated and despised murderers the most. They not only killed their victim, they sucked happiness, hope, joy in life itself out of the family and friends who were left behind. No other crime, even rape, did this to the same extent. That was why she supported the death penalty. But now she had been forced to confront this question for the first time she had to admit to herself that there was nothing Lindsey could ever do that would make her love her any less. This was the reason Jim Brass' always rushed to the aid of his no-good daughter, Ellie and the cause of the genuine grief John Mathers' mother had shown during her son's execution. A parent's love for their child was unconditional and the bond lasted for life. Look at what Walter Gordon had been prepared to do for his daughter!

Finally she spoke, looking Lindsey straight in the eye. "Even if you murdered someone, I would still love you and stand by you." she said simply.

"Then why can't you do that for Sam?" her daughter asked passionately.

_Because parents have a biological imperative to protect their children but there is no reciprocal imperative for children to protect their parents. _Catherine thought, but she knew Lindsey would not understand that until she grew up and had children of her own. Instead, she said, "With the information you gave Gil Grissom there is a chance Sam may be innocent of this particular murder. We'll have to wait and see what the evidence says. In the meantime, what I said before about visiting him? I've changed my mind, if you want to see him, I won't stop you. In fact, let's both go. Mom, do you want to join us?"

Lily shook her head, her lips turning upwards with a slight smile, "No thanks, but tell him I'm thinking of him, won't you?"

Lindsey's smile radiated the entire kitchen, "Great! When?"

Catherine suddenly realized that she had absolutely no idea about how relatives arranged visits with incarcerated family members and she was shocked at her ignorance of prison visiting regulations. "I don't know." she said, "I'll contact his attorney and find out.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is Chapter 7. Up to this weekend I hadn't realised that a lot of the background to the story and especially the relationship between Catherine, Sam and theentire Willows/Braun family dynamic mayhave been overtaken by events in Kiss Kiss Bye Bye. That's not due to be shown here in the UK until next week so I'm going to watch the episode and decide if I could or should introduce elements from that into this one.**

**Anyway, until the next update!**

**Chapter 7**

"Wow!" exclaimed Greg examining Emma's wardrobe, "Gucci, Calvin Klein, Nina Ricci. Her monthly allowance must be more than I earn in a year!"

"According to Lindsey, Emma was wearing a pair of James jeans and a red DKNY sleeveless blouse when she went to see D'Arto the first time but bag and tag everything in there Greg." Warrick said practically, "she could have changed when she went out again later. I'll check the rest of the room for trace. And remember, Grissom and Brass had a lot of trouble getting a judge to sign the search warrant. It only covers this room and the laundry basket, so don't go wandering. The Greyson's have powerful friends and enough money to make our lives difficult if we overstep the mark by even a little bit."

Greg Sanders looked insulted, "Hey, I've been doing this for a couple of years now. Don't treat me like the newbie. OK?" He carefully blew into his latex gloves and put them on before diving into the wardrobe while Warrick fell to his knees and began to slowly and methodically go over the carpet.

"So, how did Lindsey get to know Emma? I wouldn't have thought they'd move in the same circles." Greg asked conversationally as they worked.

"They go to the same school." Warrick replied shortly.

Greg held up a blazer with a badge embroidered on the left pocket. "St. Agnes Academy?" he asked, then whistled, "That takes serious money. How can Catherine afford it on a CSI's salary? Even a Shift Supervisor doesn't make that much!""

Warrick gave him an appraising look, then realised he genuinely didn't know. "Sam Braun dropped $250 grand on her shortly after she found out he was her father. Catherine put it into a trust fund for Lindsey's education."

"Right." Greg's next words came out slowly, "So, that would also be shortly after he was acquitted of murder the last time?"

"Don't even think it!" Warrick said; his voice edged with a faint trace of anger, "If you don't know Catherine better than that, you've been spending too much time with your test tubes. But it's exactly that sort of thinking Catherine was worried about and why she hasn't exactly advertised the gift."

"Hey," Greg replied defensively, "I never meant anything. I was just thinking what the press might say if they ever found out."

Warrick shrugged, "They never will, unless one of us tells them." He was about to go on when something caught his eye and he tensed, "There's a dark smear here; looks like Emma tried to clean it up. She did a pretty bad job of it, but then she's probably never done any housework before in her life!"

Greg wandered over and looked down at the stain, "Could be mud or blood, but it hasn't rained in Vegas recently so my money is on blood."

Warrick nodded and took out a swab. He carefully moistened it with distilled water and rubbed it along the edge of the smear, then got out his vial of Amido Black. He transferred some to the damp swab and watched as it turned a blue black colour.

"Yep," he confirmed, "definitely blood." He got out the field testing kit and placed the swab inside. Now, it turned violet. "Human blood." he added. "Greg, make sure you don't forget the shoes. I'm going to give the rest of the carpet a run over with the UV light in case there's more transfer."

Warrick stood up and pulled the curtains, then put on his eye protection before switching on the glowing, blue light.

Emma Greyson stood sullenly on a large sheet of paper laid on the floor of the Interview Room at Police Headquarters. The blinds were drawn as she was stripped to her bra and panties. Sara Sidle had already examined her body for marks and taken samples from under her fingernails, now she was carefully brushing out her hair, placing any foreign matter into evidence envelopes that were immediately sealed and signed. Away to one side a female representative from the law firm the Greyson's had hired, watched eagle eyed for any breach of the warrant or evidence gathering protocols.

It had been difficult getting the Emma's parents to leave the room, even after what Sara was going to do had been explained to them. Mrs Greyson had finally only agreed when Emma herself had insisted that she go. Both parents now sat tensely on a bench outside, tightly holding hands for mutual support.

Initially Emma had tried to ignore Sara and her activities, obeying instructions without comment or eye contact but, as the examination proceeded, Sara had noticed her beginning to sneak glances when she thought nobody was looking. She wasn't entirely surprised, therefore, when Emma suddenly spoke.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

There were two schools of thought among CSI's concerning what to tell suspects about forensic procedures. One was to say nothing on the principle that fear of the unknown increased pressure on the guilty to confess and prevented them from learning how to avoid mistakes in the future; the other was to tell the suspect everything they wanted to know on the basis that knowledge re-assured the innocent but when it was allied to a guilty conscience caused the guilty to confess and seek a deal before the evidence was found anyway. Sara wasn't a signed up member of either camp, she tended to go on a reading of each suspect. Here, she felt full disclosure was the best option. This suspect was a close friend of Lindsey's after all.

"Everywhere we go, we take something from that place away with us and leave something of ourselves behind." she explained, "It might only be a carpet fibre or a shed hair but we have the technology to find those things and match them. Forensic science is one of the most effective crime fighting tools we have. It convicts the guilty and exonerates the innocent."

Emma considered, "Like DNA?" she asked.

Sara nodded, "Exactly." she confirmed. "We've been able to prove someone was in a certain place by showing they'd left something containing their DNA there and it's also been used to show that some people who'd been convicted of crimes couldn't have committed them."

"Are you going to take a DNA from me?"

"Yeah. Don't worry it won't hurt. Open your mouth."

Emma did so and Sara deftly inserted the swab, brushed it around the back of her mouth, then took it out, placed it in a container and sealed it in one swift movement. "There you go." she said, "All done. You can get dressed now. Then wait here, Captain Brass and Mr Grissom will be along shortly to interview you. Do you want me to send your parents in when I leave?"

Emma nodded, "Yes, please." she replied in a low voice.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catherine and Lindsey sat in the visitors' room of the County Jail. Although her work often took her to the jail, she usually met prisoners in the private rooms set aside for consultations with lawyers. This was the first time she had entered this part of the prison or met an inmate under these circumstances. She and Lindsey were sat in an open booth along one of the walls. In front of them was a glass window through which they could see into the booth beyond. The window had a small metal section in the centre pitted with holes big enough to allow sound to carry through but small enough to prevent contraband being passed between prisoner and visitor.

The booth was currently empty as they waited for Sam to be brought in. They had been waiting for a while now and Lindsey was becoming impatient.

"Where is he?" she asked, and then a horrible thought seemed to hit her, "Maybe he doesn't want to see us!"

"We had to go through his lawyer to arrange this visit." Catherine reminded her. "Sam could have stopped us from coming then if he wanted to. Sweetheart, it takes a while to clear the security procedures, he'll be here soon."

As she spoke she wondered what she would say to him when he finally did appear. She had agreed to come primarily because Lindsey had been so adamant about visiting Sam and she wanted to be there to support her through what would be a traumatic experience, not because she herself had any particular desire to see her father.

She was still wondering this when Sam's orange, jumpsuit clad figure appeared.

"Lindsey, Mugs." He greeted them as he sat down in the booth opposite.

Catherine studied him. As usual his face was set in a benevolent half smile that gave nothing of his real feelings and thoughts away. _A poker player face,_ she thought, not for the first time. Then she saw the lines at the corner of his eyes and knew that he was worried about something. She listened with half an ear as Lindsey launched into a series of questions about Sam's treatment and protestations of her belief in his innocence.

As he answered, Catherine saw he was carefully studying them both. He caught her glance and looked away, interrupting Lindsey in mid question to ask "How are you, Mugs? How's all this affecting your career? "

"I'm fine. I've been put on administrative leave until this is all over." She paused for a few seconds, _in for a penny, in for a pound _she thought _guilty or innocent,_ _he's going to find out sometime. _Taking a deep breath, she began; "There's some facts about the night of the murder you need to know." she began.

Sam jumped in before she could finish, talking over her, "It'll be over soon. The D.A.'s going for an early sentencing hearing. Then you'll have your wish and I'll be out of your life for good. You need to think of Lindsey now. She's young, beautiful, with a bright future ahead of her." Then with emphasis, "You must protect her, keep her safe."

Then he turned to Lindsey who had stopped talking and was listening to the exchange between her mother and grandfather intently. "Lindsey, sweetheart," Sam began, "I don't want any of this to ruin your life. I've got more years behind me than ahead of me and I'm not exactly an innocent. One day I'd have to leave you anyway, it just happens to be earlier than I'd hoped. I want you to remember that and go on with your life."

Lindsey looked at him and understanding dawned, "You think I killed that man and you've been covering for me! Sam, I didn't do it and I've told the police all about why I was at his place. You don't have to lie to protect me!"

Sam looked at Catherine and read the truth of Lindsey's words there. He smiled with relief and reached out his hand to touch the window that separated him from his granddaughter. On the other side of the pane, Lindsey copied his gesture and the two looked affectionately at each other for a long moment.

Then Braun turned to Catherine, "Can you arrange for me to see your friend Grissom?" he asked. "I think my lawyer and I need to have a long talk with him."

T.B.C.


End file.
